Tag: Nature

Rays in Repose

Published on by onceanation3 Comments

Rays in Repose

[I captured this radiant, yet tranquil image not far from my home on April 3, 2016.  In this case, beauty was effectively the “backyard” of a populous residential area.  The backdrop for “Rays in Repose” is the outskirts of a swath of yet-to-be-developed woodlands and a somewhat undisturbed creek.]

I have always been fascinated by imagery, in all its forms.  My mother instilled in me and, hence, I came to share her appreciation for God’s ‘handiwork’ – all the splendors He hath created.  I have often heard her say, “Give me my tall trees and running brooks…”  Oh, it took a while for me to realize how much I appreciated these things – years, in fact.

It might have been different had technology been as advanced in my teen and young adult years as it is today.  When I was a young boy, I wasn’t the one taking the pictures.  That was what the adults were supposed to do.  And, while I often relished the images I observed at any given time and place, I had yet to develop the profound sense of nostalgia I have today.  Heck, I didn’t even keep up with the pictures the adults did take.  Consequently, I have only fuzzy memories of The Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore.  Enough! I’m getting ill just thinking about it.

Oh, the regret.  Even once I began to recognize my particular appreciation for imagery, for the arts in general, I was in the “throes of adolescence” and, thus, completely averse to any and all things “uncool.”  So, sporting about bulky cameras or camcorders was simply out of the question.  I wasn’t about to be caught dead resembling a tourist – as if the locals couldn’t pick us out of a crowd, regardless.  Thank goodness some of my friends had some sense.  If not for one of my dear friends, I would have no evidence of my having been part of a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.  What an honor, by the way!

To make a long story short, I  believe I would have thousands of images in my portfolio today, if only I’d had my do-it-all device (a.k.a. cell phone) back in the day.  If I could have carried, inconspicuously, this modest device and had it ever at-the-ready… yeah, well, water under the bridge.

The bottom line is, those images are lost.  It’s time to move on.  And, that’s exactly what I intend to do.  Beginning with “Rays in Repose,” I am adding my own, personal gallery to this blog.  I am no professional, so don’t think for a moment I will be renowned for my works, but I owe it to myself, if no one else, to do this.

We have often heard, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” and “A picture is worth a thousand words.”  In “Vogue” Madonna lyrically boasts, “Beauty’s where you find it.”  I think she was on the right track, but I would submit beauty is everywhere, yet only rarely beheld.

Thusly, from this day forward, I dedicate each and every photograph I take and share to all the worthy images never to have been, nor ever to be captured.  I hope you enjoy.